


Playing Along

by Nemesis (ThetaSigma), ThetaSigma



Category: Law & Order: SVU
Genre: Established Relationship, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-10
Updated: 2016-02-10
Packaged: 2018-05-19 14:41:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 707
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5970720
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThetaSigma/pseuds/Nemesis, https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThetaSigma/pseuds/ThetaSigma
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Don Cragen has his suspicions, especially with all those mix-ups in the night, but he plays along each time. No need to embarrass anyone.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Playing Along

The first time John picked up Fin’s cell phone instead of Fin, Don was surprised but thought little of it. After all, he had crashed before at his partner’s place too, and it was hard to tell in the middle of the night just whose cell phone was making the irritating noise, he figured.

Except it happened again, a week later, this time Fin picking up John’s cell phone with a bleary “Fin… oh fuck, John, it’s yours.” John was on the line within seconds, “Munch.”

Don raised an eyebrow at that; Fin usually called his partner Munch. And he would’ve figured that if one of them was crashing in the other’s apartment that they wouldn’t be so close that Fin could just _hand_ it to John in seconds. Still, late nights and alcohol, and he kept his mouth shut.

Over the next several months, the two of them accidentally picked up each other’s cell phone a handful more times in the middle of the night, most of the time without even realizing it, just continuing the conversation as though they had picked up the right one.

Don played along every time. He didn’t see the need to embarrass his team for no reason, and he had a good idea what was going on between the two of them. He wasn’t sure the depth of the relationship, but he doubted strongly that they had platonic sleepovers that often.

With this theory in mind, he watched them carefully in the squadroom. They were admirably discreet, he had to admit that, moreso than Liv and Elliot, who he was pretty sure were _not_ actually in a relationship.

But admirably discreet and not doing anything weren’t _quite_ the same things, and Don could tell that there was definitely _something_ going on between them. If nothing else, the frequency with which Fin mentioned John’s “bony ass” was a dead giveaway.

Don still played along like nothing was going on; he figured they would tell him when they were ready, if ever. He knew Fin talked about himself about as much as Elliot talked about work at home, so he had a long wait ahead of him. 

***

It was several months – and another dozen or so messed up cell phone pickups – later that the paperwork for their updated addresses reached his desk. He had to know, of course, where his team lived. He noted that both of them were moving at once into the same address and smiled. Well, they could argue that they were just good friends splitting the rent on a place…. Don plugged the address into his computer to pull up something, just to alleviate his curiosity. One bedroom.

At this point, he figured it was time to let them know he knew. Messed up cell phone pickups were one thing, something they could bullshit their way around, but sharing an apartment was another.

He called them into his office.

“I’ve got some paperwork on my desk,” Don began. “Your new address.”

“Ah, _fuck_ ,” Fin said.

John turned a smug look at him. “Told you he would find out from that.”

“Listen, guys, I don’t care at all. I have a feeling this has been going on for a while, especially if you’re moving in together –” he didn’t mention the phone calls “—and it hasn’t interfered with your work at all. Obviously if it starts to we’ll have a different conversation, but until then, good luck. Hang on to each other.”

***

The mix-ups between the cell phones never stopped, and Don always waited for them to announce which of them had picked up the phone before talking. He never said anything about it, knowing it would do nothing more than make the two men flush in embarrassment, even if he _did_ know about their relationship.

In the years following, he saw the two of them get closer and it made him smile at odd moments; they were the strangest couple but they _worked_. He felt paternalistic about his team, and he was glad that they had found each other.

Another late night, another dead body. He sighed and dialed John’s cell phone number. “Fin,” Fin declared, another mix-up in the night with ringing phones, and Don played along again.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed! Comments are love <3


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